Tsianda man dies after being attacked with angle grinder

Last Sunday (10^th), the community of Tsianda woke up to the sad news of the gruesome killing of a local man. The deceased, Mr Takalani Magodi (42), met his brutal end after being attacked by an assailant who used an angle grinder to cut and kill him.

From the information available, Magodi was apparently on his way home from the local liquor store when he had an altercation with three men, whereupon one of them took an angle grinder and cut him several times. He was declared dead at the scene.

The shocking incident, which has become the talk of the village, happened at the Tsianda Mafhali T-junction at around 22:30. According to Vhembe police spokesperson Warrant Officer Vuledzani Dathi, they were alerted and went to the scene of the crime. Upon arrival, the police found the body of a man lying in a pool of blood.

“It is alleged that a grinder was used to cut him, whereupon he bled to death. The motive for the killing is not clear at this stage. A charge of murder has been opened, and a 35-year-old suspect has been arrested,” he said.

Community member Mr Emmanuel Muofhe, who is also the chairperson of Blackstone Stokvel - of which the late Magodi was a member - said they had all had a good time at a Levubu resort shortly before the incident. He said they were still in a state of denial that he was no more.

“This came as a shock. Magodi was a good man who was always smiling. He had big plans for his family, and he left a big, unfinished house. The very same Saturday we were laughing and joking about the Chiefs and Pirates game, as he was a big fan of the Chiefs. We were shocked to learn about his death the following day. This is a very sad incident, because even the suspect is known to me. He is a very good person whom you cannot expect to do such a heinous crime, but he realised he made a very grave mistake and asked to be handed over to the police, which we did,” he said.

Muofhe added that they had visited the bereaved family as a stokvel to offer their condolences. “We are deeply hurt, and we will monitor this case until the end. We will only find closure after the killer explains what caused him to commit such a crime,” Muofhe said.

A suspect, Mr Edzisani Mamphogoro (35), appeared in the Vuwani Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday 12 March and was charged with murder. His case was postponed to 30 April for further investigations, and he remains in custody.

Date:15 March 2024

By: Elmon Tshikhudo

Elmon Tshikhudo started off as a photographer. He developed an interest in writing and started submitting articles to local as well as national publications. He became part of the Limpopo Mirror family in 2005 and was a permanent part of the news team until 2019.

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